1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powder container for storing toner that is powder used by an image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copier, or a multifunction peripheral with multiple functions of the printer, the facsimile machine, and the copier, and also relates to an image forming apparatus including the powder container.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, a powder replenishing device supplies (replenishes) toner that is powder from a toner container serving as a powder container containing the toner to a developing device. A toner container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-133349 includes an opening arranged on one end of the toner container, a nozzle receiver provided at the opening to receive a conveying nozzle that includes a powder receiving hole for receiving toner from the toner container, a rotary conveyor that rotates to convey the toner toward the powder receiving hole, and a gear that meshes with a container driving gear of a main-body of the image forming apparatus to transmit a driving force to the rotary conveyor. When the toner container is attached to the powder replenishing device, the gear meshes with the container driving gear on the opening side relative to the powder receiving hole in the longitudinal direction of the toner container. In this configuration, the influence of the arrangement of the gear can be reduced when the toner is transferred to the powder receiving hole of the conveying nozzle, and the toner can be transferred more smoothly than in a conventional configuration.
However, if the gear of the container is driven, a pressure generated at a position where the gear and the container driving gear of the main-body mesh with each other is applied to the toner container or the conveying nozzle. Therefore, if an attached position of the toner container with respect to the powder replenishing device is not determined, a load on the conveying nozzle or the nozzle receiver increases, so that the conveying nozzle or the nozzle receiver may be broken or a gap may be generated between the conveying nozzle and the nozzle receiver resulting in toner leakage.